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Heart Healthy Goody Bars

Cruisin’ through some of my favorite food sites tonight, I stumbled on Cafe Cyan’s Heart Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookie post. I usually just breeze over baked goods, but she caught my attention talking about how walnuts and oats are usually not allowed to contaminate her sacred cookie. Having the same sentiment and intrigued by the recipe, I clicked to the link originally posted in Vegetarian Times, and was surprised to find that these cookies are actually a full-on vegan option-concoction. I immediately noticed no eggs and no butter. Instead, walnuts are processed with a little canola oil to make a walnut butter which replaces the traditional egg, sugar and butter base for the cookies. Anything to get rid of eggs, and I’m a happy girl!

So, how are they heart healthy? I think it’s all about fiber that helps to lower bad cholesterol, whole grain nutrients are rich in rolled oats, and this one has the added benefit of no cane sugar. But really, don’t treats like these just make you fall in love with whoever baked them? They make the old heart go pitter-pat!

For some reason, the original recipe calls to dissolve brown sugar in a saucepan with water and then cool it, but that would take too much time for this lazy lounge lizard. I opted for agave nectar to replace the sugar, and also cut some serious corners in the time department by baking bars and not cookies. It took about eight minutes to whip up the batter and twelve minutes to bake. I also added a little flaxmeal to make it even heart healthier. These babies are moist and delicious! Thanks to Crystal for the motivation! I know Jeff really appreciats the treats.

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats, whipped to a fine powder in the processor

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup ground flaxmeal

2 cup rolled oats

12 oz. bag chocolate chips

Wet Ingredients:

2 cups walnuts, ground to smithereens in a food processor

3-4 Tbs. oil

1 cup agave nectar

2 tsp. vanilla

Here’s How:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Process two cups of rolled oats until they are finely ground like flour. Pulse in the baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flaxmeal. Remove the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.

Next, place the walnuts in the food processor and turn it on. While the processor runs, drizzle in the oil until it starts to look like creamy peanut butter. While it runs add the vanilla and agave nectar. Scrape the wet ingredients into the ground oats mixture and stir together. Add the 2 cups of oats and chips and fold together.

Spread the mixture into a greased 9×13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes until the bars brown on top. Let them cool, si se puedes, or eat them up warm!